Kodak’s War vs Polaroid & The Instant Film Disaster [Instant Breakdown]

On location in the home of Kodak, Rochester, NY, we take a trip through the incredible history of Kodak’s rise and eventual war in the instant film industry. From producing Polaroid products to bashing horns in court, no print is left undeveloped in this special breakdown.
Related Video: How Polaroid & Kodak Gave Birth to Instax - • How Polaroid and Kodak...
As always you can follow me on the gram @the.instantgram and support our Patreon at Patreon.com/inaninstantchannel
While your here, go ahead and demolish a hundred buildings onto that subscribe button, thanks!

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Patreon! We're doing hype stuff over there, you can join the fun at patreon.com/inaninstantchannel!

[@mattlucier6493]

“Babe got us the perfect vacation spot for your birthday” “ohh my god where” “Rochester NY.... we are going to be absolutely slayyyyyjng rolls of 120”

[@InAnInstant]

Lmaoo toss out a lounge chair in front of the Kodak Alaris Office Complex with a silly straw looping into a fresh Simply Apple straight out the CVS fridge 😂

[@stantonhigham4690]

Edwin H. Land: Father, Inventor, Lord and Savior, Film Daddy. Such a powerful life 😂 great video again man! Also digging the Kodak Jersey

[@InAnInstant]

That Kodak Park Jersey is EASILY one of my favorite threads, what a smoke. Thanks dude!

[@mockermartin8725]

"Our film daddy" 😂😂 you defo had to cut after that statement before a full on corpse! Kodak tower is a b-e-a-utiful building. Even though i knew the story, I love the journey. Loved the sign off, hilarious! I hope you chapped the door and got right into their mince about producing packfilm! Also, perfect editing adding the truly soothing sound of the sx-70 shutter/ejection sequence, chefs kiss.

[@InAnInstant]

Lmaoo our Founding Film Father (FFF) - yeah that Kodak Tower is a real treat, really astounding architecture in Rochester. A lot of futurism and optimism in the way things were constructed around Kodak. Unfortunately a lot of that ended up being misguided optimism, BUT there are certainly many industries still thriving there today!

[@Kodachrome40]

I used to work at a camera shop in the early 80’s. When Kodak had to get rid of their instant cameras people could exchange them for a new Disc camera or one share of Kodak stock. I still have some old Polaroid and Kodak instant pictures. The Polaroids have faded slightly and the Kodak is still bright and vivid. Polaroid had a glossy finish, Kodak had a matte finish.

[@eicas_11]

Aww, sick! Kodak! Also, the cinematography in this video is insane. Perhaps an IAI and Fraternale Films collab???

[@InAnInstant]

They all are! 😂 thank you bud

[@mrlupaplays]

Beautiful shots you got there! Great vid. B4B

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you mate!! It's an unsurprisingly photogenic place despite it's industrial reputation. A lot of beauty in that mid-century optimism!

[@bertosfilmbag]

being from Rochester, and having grandparents that worked at Kodak. I find it right to say this is one of the best videos I have seen shot in Rochester centered around film photography. glad I found your channel.

[@InAnInstant]

Berto, truly appreciate the kind words - we have a great affection for Rochester in this house!

[@EmilyGallagher]

I loved your pack film protest at the end.

[@InAnInstant]

The heart wants what the heart wants: PACKFILM!

[@15minoflame]

PACK FILM ! I will be there if you all plan a protest let me know call me up I’ll make the signs and write the chant marches !

[@vimerveilles]

Ngl tho the pack film ending hit hard, especially after the cruel prank instant film collective on IG pulled.

[@InAnInstant]

Lmao our voices WILL be heard

[@kareemsakr41]

Amazing content

[@plestj]

Very interesting video, Ben! Nice job as always! Anthony. 👍

[@bennygrizzelle6077]

Absolutely love the channel and the diversity of your content !! Can’t Waite for the next video !

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks so much Benny!!

[@MichaWha]

That was a super cool video Ben! Loved everything in it and now I wanna go to Rochester, NY!

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Micha!! Time for another bop to the Flower City!

[@arieldavid20]

Sick video 🙌🏼 .. learned some new things

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Ariel!!

[@Dxntes]

Absolutely loved the video, the production and effort is next-level!

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks so much Josh!!

[@danielcalvocamacho4538]

What a great video! As an industrial engineer and master in innovation management, I LOVE stories related to business and technology. Thanks a lot for sharing this!

[@EmilyGallagher]

The last comment, I love all your videos, but, the historical ones are very interesting too.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Emily!! I love videos like this, I feel like they have real value for the channel and I love making'em!

[@TheSureShannonShow]

This was really informative about Polaroid and Kodak. Keep up the good work.

[@cameronwright7309]

this video was put together amazingly, seriously underappreciated

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you so much Cameron!! These more intricate videos are a true labor of love

[@DannyBlocher]

I grew up in Roc; business owners always knew when Kodak bonus day was.

[@InAnInstant]

Lmao that’s incredible 🤑

[@justinmaalihan2533]

“Pack film! When do we want it? In an instant!” Love the historical deep dive! Fantastic stuff, as always, Ben! 😎

[@InAnInstant]

#WeWantPackfilm, thank you Justin!!

[@aramdavid]

this channel is a revelation. I dont know where you came from. I dont care (I do, but that was for emphasis). Im glad you're here and I love where you're going.

[@InAnInstant]

Aram you are too kind, thank you so much!

[@ChristopherVisser]

It’s the multiple costume changes for me.

[@InAnInstant]

Whatever gets people through the door!

[@giangiga]

the quality and artistic value of your videos is insane.

[@InAnInstant]

Giangiga, grazie!!

[@crawfb]

Excellent, as always. You're right, it is hard to remember how unbelievably big Kodak was at one time. When they created new formats everyone jumped on the bandwagon immediately. Ironically when they tried a similar trick with instant film it came back to bite them, hard.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Richard! Kodak's scale was truly gobsmacking. Their own area code, fire department, police, housing, schooling, just an incredible global footprint. Interesting to watch them attempt to scale for the modern taste for film (which exists but in a ridiculously different market).

[@Nanou197373]

your channel is so cool! I dig it. Thanks for showing us these beauties and it certainly makes me want to visit Rochester, even though I'm a Polaroid fan. Anything that encourages people to take photos sounds good to me. Keep it up! I'll subscribe & follow you on other channels too.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you so much Nanou!!

[@crazychicken2005]

I recently found a Kodak PartyFlash at a thrift shop, and these videos are very interesting to understand what happened to these cameras. Really enjoyable!

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@akin4536]

I don't know why the bag flying around in the background at 8:50 is so funny lol Also this style of video is great, keep it up!

[@InAnInstant]

Lmao I noticed that, very American Beauty

[@Kev4u2]

More like “ instant” hype when these new videos drop !!!

[@InAnInstant]

Now THAT's what I'm talkin bout!!

[@ArielShelleg]

Profound and entertaining!

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Ariel!!

[@dudeson53]

Man Ben, this video really reminds me of National Geopgraphic videos in terms of production quality. Absolutely brilliant video Ben, I feel guilty for not signing up for your patreon now. Brb gotta rush you my $$$🤑

[@InAnInstant]

That's so nice to hear man, always trying to step it up! Thank you!

[@joanmichel]

holy land of portra! Eastman's home is going to be my vacation home one day.

[@InAnInstant]

Wish he were alive today for a sick collab 🤘george eastman on IG live 😩😩😩😍

[@joanmichel]

@@InAnInstant FACTS

[@inkaststudio]

“That means instant headaches” 😂 stellar work on the mini doc! 👍🏾

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you!! That news segment had me rolling. Also “I feel like an American” my man’s dishing out kisses with his Kodak Colorburst 😂😂😂

[@inkaststudio]

@@InAnInstant hilarious! 😂

[@mistermars1479]

Instant... LIKE!

[@rachellysak8212]

I cant get enough of your personality. I love the content and its why I watch your channel, but you hooked me with your snapping fingers and acid quips

[@InAnInstant]

Rachel this comment made me smile so big it cracked my cheeks! Pouring my whole self into these vids and I really appreciate that ❤️

[@vekofoto]

Great content, as always! Do you think there is any chance Kodak would do packfilm? They never actually made it, did they?

[@InAnInstant]

Kodak actually did produce the components for Polaroid packfilm originally, so there is precedent there. They never produced their own branded Kodak packfilm, but rumors started randomly swirling this year they their R&D department was exploring the possibility. Seems extraordinarily unlikely but we'll see!

[@jeffjrums6051]

Rochester native right here. Hope you had a plate while you were there! Nice clip of Glenn Edith btw, cheers 🍻

[@InAnInstant]

Shoutout to Glenn Edith, and you know I stopped for a Dogtown plate! Cheers Jeff!

[@jeffjrums6051]

Dogtown is one of the best in the city, but I find it so hard to get a plate when their dogs are also on point! Not too long before your next visit I hope (I'm a roc native living in buffalo currently, love your channel bro) take care, and next time get a night in and check lux lounge 👍

[@InAnInstant]

@@jeffjrums6051 I know!! Love those plates though, and thanks for the love on the channel!

[@bassybossy]

So many FIlm Daddies! But you're my favourite of them all!💖

[@InAnInstant]

[@josephschwartz1883]

“Good morning yesterday, you wake up and time has slipped away...” - Paul Anka for Kodak. Film daddy, not. Ben’s, yes. Awesome and beautiful work (not necessarily in that order)!

[@InAnInstant]

Could not have put it better in 10 minutes of runtime

[@yourfamilydocter]

Have you done any videos on the Kodak smile classic or mini shot 3,or ever used them ?

[@InAnInstant]

Hi Miles, those are digital printers and aren’t really within the purview of what I do with the channel.

[@bosborne0]

You drove very close to my apartment! Great video! I read a comment a while ago discussing Kodak and digital photography. It was pointed out that Kodak is and always was primarily a chemical company. Film is a chemical process after all. It was pointed out that they most likely did not have the engineers, technical know how, etc to make electronics and therefore digital cameras. Companies like Fuji, Canon, Nikon etc were all camera companies while Kodak really wasn't in the second half of the 20th century. They probably weren't going to succeed as in the digital world regardless of whether they tried or not. It may not have been that much different even if they took advantage of inventing the digital sensor.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you!! It’s true regarding Kodak being a predominantly chemically focused product producer, ALTHOUGH Kodak was the first to develop a digital photography camera, which was more or less shunned by management for being a fools errand. With their extraordinary resources there’s no doubt in my eyes that they could have pushed forth into the digital age and ultimately succeeded. Money buys talent and they had a lot of cash! Just risk-averse management that doubled down on their successful product into its obsolescence.

[@bobsears4762]

Hate to say it, but the Kodak Instant film was better. The pictures could be used as coasters if you wanted to. The colors popped better. We have many photo albums full of Kodak Instant. They hold up good over the years.

[@InAnInstant]

Bob Sears is saying what everyone else is afraid to!! Wish we could shoot with some of that goodness now. Closest we have is Instax I suppose (similar film construction/chemical process).

[@TheSpanielXD]

notification squad! where we at

[@ArthurFellig]

Great video! Thanks for sharing! For the record, Edwin Land did not invent the process of instant photography. It's more correct to say that he applied and popularized technologies that already existed. Specifically speaking, Land utilized the Diffusion Transfer process that had previously been invented by Edith Weyde in Germany. Interesting history. Worth looking into for anyone who is interested in the development of instant photography.

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks Arthur!! Much like George Eastman, Edwin Land’s inventions built on prior innovations. However, both are notable for inventing products that made these scientific concepts mass-market compatible, like you said. I’d say Edith Weyde invented a process to make instant photography possible, rather than the product itself. Depends on what you consider an invention I suppose!

[@jimmyhawke]

My first camera was a Kodak EK-6. I got it for my thirteenth birthday in 1977.

[@Irad_s]

Best. Video. Ever.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Sir Blob!

[@DavidAragon13]

I am respooling Ektar onto some 620 spools as the 680 goes brrrr.

[@TranscendentalAirwaves]

It definitely would be nice to get some film for those Kodak Cameras again. lol

[@BribeNestleSin]

"Our lord, savior, and handsome film daddy..." made me laugh so hard. Your channel is stupid funny. Thank you

[@InAnInstant]

Shoutout to all the film daddies out there!!

[@BribeNestleSin]

@@InAnInstant Am I a film baby daddy if I spend the money that I would have spent on a real child on film and film cameras instead? Asking for a friend

[@chrisbphoto]

Literally my favorite story ever.

[@InAnInstant]

Chris!!! ❤️

[@DerangedMallard]

When I read "instant breakdown", I think of the time I broke my sx-70 sonar when trying to clean the light meter. It was an instant breakdown for both me and the camera

[@InAnInstant]

I’m instantly breaking down as I read this

[@15minoflame]

i have shot instant film Polaroid, Fuji peel apart and intergal but my parents shot Kodak instant film and the stuff has always been superior at holding up ( in my opinion ) amazingly and I do believe that Kodak even not inventing “instant” film made a fantastic product .

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Rochester really is a great reminder of a time when big corporations actually gave something back to benefit the population by building infrastructure like schools, homes and other things everyone was benefiting from. I miss the time when Corporations were actually legally required by law to do such things.,

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

Great video ! Is it worth visiting Polaroid’s original factory ? Assuming anything is left there ?!

[@InAnInstant]

To my understanding the big upstart Polaroid factory from this saga eventually became a solar panel production facility or something, so certainly nothing to see there. However the factory in Enschede, Netherlands would certainly be a cool place to visit some day!

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

@@InAnInstant damm that’s a shame it’s gone! The Polaroid factory in Scotland at leven is still standing i think , but it’s a business park? of sorts i believe. Think it still has the Polaroid sign. I will have to drive down one day !

[@StickPeopleAndPuff]

This is a great video and thats a certified doinker but I just wanna ask: When is my dad coming back? It's been 8 years......

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you so much! Your dad's coming back tomorrow!

[@StickPeopleAndPuff]

@@InAnInstant How do you know? Did you kidnap him? What are your secrets?

[@InAnInstant]

I am him.

[@StickPeopleAndPuff]

@@InAnInstant :')

[@maxdoes_]

9:32 is maybe the best sound you've made on this channel so far?

[@InAnInstant]

Make it your text tone!!

[@TH3mrBROWN]

A private island you say? Far away from everything??? An island... 🤔, Ben! We have to go back! 😂 Once again an amazing video! You're killing it king, as the youngsters would say.

[@InAnInstant]

WEHAVETOGOBACKKKK thanks Mr. Brown!!

[@drparham]

Yeah we do want it...... please 🥺

[@ppknr336]

I hope the polaroid and kodak join together to make the films awesome. One and only true picture that digital and AI (and robots except her or him or it can handle old cameras) can't generate artificially. 'The great competitor for past became the great partner.'

[@InAnInstant]

Would be awesome to see a Kodak/Polaroid reunion some day. At this point in both of their businesses it seems particularly unlikely, but never say never!

[@EmilyGallagher]

How many Kodak t-shirts do you own?

[@InAnInstant]

TOO MANY AND NOT ENOUGH

[@FilthyBeans]

im high af but found the video. I even have the EK4 tattood on me!

[@InAnInstant]

Lesssgooo baybeeee!! 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@InAnInstant]

Really wanna see that tatt!

[@michael_177]

I re-watch so many *I.A.I* videos it should be a crime.

[@tomjanowski8584]

I live in Rochester....great video. Sadly, Kodak had a long history of trying to replace 35mm photography with another format. 110 film, instant film, disc film, APS film. The time, effort and money sunk into these failed film formats makes it hard to understand why they didn't go into digital 100%.

[@InAnInstant]

Absolutely, the list goes on. All the way up through absolutely botching the windfall of cash they would have received for developing COVID treatment chemicals in-house. Management can’t stop stepping on landmines, such a shame.

[@trinoromo6619]

Does anyone know if Polaroid will ever switch back to ten photos a pack?

[@InAnInstant]

They will not. They’ve established new hardware with the OneStep 2, Polaroid Now, etc that only mechanically handles 8 frames. Not to mention a new product line coming soon that is an entirely new system which also shoots 8 per pack. The 8-shot pack is just part of the brand now, I don’t see them going to 10 any time soon.

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

Kodak Aerochrome Packfilm coming 2022. Eastman Kodak family secret revealed by whistleblower

[@InAnInstant]

Seems realistic to me!

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

Ooooo what’s this ? Any link ?

[@InAnInstant]

(It’s a joke Mark 😂)

[@robertknight4672]

Remember that time that Kodak put 120 film on a different spool to come out with 620 film.

[@jonathandelreal7808]

God, I wish someone would bring back Kodak instant film. Or create any kind of new process that would work on Kodak instant cameras. That way I feel less stupid for picking up a Kodak instant camera at goodwill.

[@InAnInstant]

Haha anything to rectify that folly 😂😂

[@dragonforces]

I have had pretty good success loading Instax Square into the old Kodak Instant Cameras. There are two ways of doing it, and both require an empty Kodak cartridge. A) Empty cartridge and 10 sheets of expired film. Open up the film (it’s opens up like a pouch) and stuff an Instax Square in there. Load 6 or 7 of them back into the cartridge and into the camera. It works pretty good. B) This requires 3D printing an adaptor and some dremel skills as well as some fiddling with springs. It’s not as reliable as the procedure above but it allows you loading Instax Square straight into the modified cartridge. Still jams quite often (like 25% chance) but with some modifications and trial and error it will become better.

[@rpk5568]

I had over time both types of instant cameras, and I preferred the Kodak. And as I recall the Kodak's image was sharper. Kodak had to refund the money for the camera. We had to remove a metal name plate from the camera and send it in for the refund check. Still have most of the pictures from both cameras including the partly defective images from the Polaroid. You know the black and white film you had to smear with some kind of a lacquer that came in a tube with a sponge that you used to coat the image side of the film. Nasty! Digital cameras are not my favorite. In the days of film if you wanted higher resolution, finer grain, you bought a higher grade of film for a couple of dollars more. Digital camera, well you buy a much more costly camera. And digital images are very disposable if not just plain lost in the ether. Whereas I have all my negatives carefully stored and can recreate any image, digitally.

[@francesarpaia]

Fuji actually made compatible film until 2010. It was the basis for instax. camera-wiki.org/wiki/Fujifilm_instant_photography You can still find expired system800 film. You just gotta cut the tabs on the cartridge and use an nd filter. Gonna have to do a follow up video.

[@InAnInstant]

If we’re going that route, you could say all Instax film is compatible, it’s just a real hassle to adapt it (for ultimately no gain other than for the curiosity of it lol). I discuss the birth the Instax/more about the sequence of history in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4jHc2RuZdVnd8U

[@francesarpaia]

@@InAnInstantThere's a reason I never did it. Ultimately it's just the novelty of using those kodak instant doinkers. But hey, it's content.

[@fenixlolnope361]

I’m gonna get one and hack some cartridges to hold instax film lmao

[@HennerZeller]

In the end, it was a huge loss for the consumers. The Kodak product was much higher quality, not the washed-out 'Polaroid look'. Unfortunately, Polaroid did not use the opportunity to improve, but defend the monopoly. And that then unchallenged monopoly could keep producing mediocre quality films. My parents had the Kodak system as it had so much better quality. And from one day to another, the film could not be bought anymore. Since that bad childhood experience, I am highly critical of the patent system if it is used to cement monopolies and stifle innovation.

[@HerrSantander]

This was a Sonderfall and ver supresiones Bourne IN TIME and Science history!

[@user-co6ww2cm9k]

It's weird to say that the company which literally invented digital photography "didn't take it seriously" they took it more seriously than anyone, they made it happen, and it just wasn't a huge moneymaker for them like film was

[@InAnInstant]

They didn't take it seriously enough to realize its potential, and that was the nail that did them in.

[@flashbarsflashcubes8384]

its either making me mad or just downright confused why your taking polaroids in front of kodak, either way thank you

[@InAnInstant]

All I could hope for

[@redoni3429]

I Wonder how much Kodak and other American companies benefited from the stolen knowledge and patents of Agfa in Germany. Always thinking about that. Ofc I love Kodak but the history of Agfa and later ORWO and what happened to the knowledge is very interesting and I want to know how much of it is involved in the success of Kodak.

[@plestj]

I find it a bittersweet irony that, at the end of the video, you are asking KODAK to produce Pack film for Polaroid cameras?? Was this part of the legal settlement that I missed? 😉😉😊

[@InAnInstant]

Hey Anthony, this is what I was talking about at 6:07, and is the reason Fuji was able to create FP-100C, etc. Polaroid significantly relaxed their legal protections of packfilm in the early 70s because they knew integral film would supplant it. The lawsuit with Kodak was regarding integral film, not packfilm.

[@plestj]

@@InAnInstant Ahh ok. Thanks Ben! 👍

[@AeromaticXD]

PACKFILM!

[@virgilplays]

All hail film daddy

[@InAnInstant]

lmao I loved the original version #daddu

[@ToulavejKocour]

Kodak, Fuji, Ilford.. anyone.. We need pack film.. At least black and white.... Shut up and take my money!

[@idonthaveaname1036]

I don’t know if this is controversial to say but like kind of a dick move for Polaroid to create a monopoly and be the ONLY instant integral film company. I mean it isn’t as if Kodak went and copied it exactly like it had a completely different emulsion and way of exposing the film, they’re actually quite different!

[@InAnInstant]

I think it’s a fair statement, but they were also within their rights to protect their intellectual property. Kodak WAS the monopoly of the photo industry at the time (and for basically all of history), so Polaroid was fighting to not get swallowed by one of the largest companies in the world.

[@idonthaveaname1036]

@@InAnInstant oh yeah you’re absolutely right! I guess I’m leading with more emotion because I am just upset I will never get to experience Kodak instant film. I’m just wishing I could live in a world with both.

[@InAnInstant]

I wish so too! At least we have one still with us ♥️

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

Ah yes, modern Kodak making bad business decisions, that's familiar

[@mgdriver8503]

Really anti-competitve move. Kodak film worked differently in many ways and had made some major improvements including the ability to remove the spent chemical pouches leaving only the picture.

[@InAnInstant]

True, but Polaroid simply fought for what was theres. Kodak had done the same 100x over and stomped out MANY companies with similar bullying tactics and legal action. They simply got what was coming to them in this case IMO.

[@mgdriver8503]

@@InAnInstant I definitely see where you're coming from, but I would have loved to have seen what innovation could have come from these two instant films coexisting and competing in the market. Very happy to have Polaroid back though!!

[@handwriting8804]

Koback

[@13Photodog]

George Eastman did not invent film. He stole flexible film from a preacher.

[@InAnInstant]

Every invention steals something from someone bud

[@AnchorTH]

first